Amnesia
by Ireland1
Summary: Somebody loses something hard to get back. NS GC.
1. one

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters and if ever I do, what will I do with them? They are rightfully owned by Anthony Zuiker, CBS, Alliance Atlantis, and Jerry Bruckheimer.

A/N- Hello. This is my second fic (yey!) for CSI. I have my original characters back together with our CSI's. This will be an N/S, G/C and maybe a Greg/OC (no, not his cousin…) Hope you enjoy! Oh, Review this chapter too… (Alias fanfiction readers do not review much… so depressing…)

I'll gladly receive your *harsh* criticism. (Oh, But I'm not saying that you flame me… please… Thanks… J ) 

~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER ONE

"Hey, we got a d.b in a construction site." Nick greeted Sara and Greg in the break room. It was a few hours before their shift ends. Sara was finishing her coffee while Greg was answering the crossword puzzle.

"How many?" Greg asked.

"Just one. Vic was found inside the portable bathroom. Brass needs people there now." Nick replied.

"Okay." Sara said as she gulped the last drops of her coffee. Greg put down the puzzle and his pen. As they went out, Greg asked, "Where's Warrick?"

"He's in Grissom's case. Together with Catherine and Christianna." Nick answered. "A ballet dancer was struck dead with a sandbag."

"Oh…" was Greg's only reply.

***

"She was struck at the back of her head. She was probably bleeding internally by the time her head hit the floor." David informed Grissom as they inspected the corpse of Alaine Tripman, the rising star in the Las Vegas Dance Company, in the orchestra pit. She had fallen down after she was hit by the sandbag.

Grissom nodded in understanding. He looked around. Catherine was photographing the perimeter of where the body was situated. Christianna was up in the stage, photographing the sandbag. Warrick was with the stage manager, looking at the security videos. 

Their crime scene is in one of the theatres where most major ballet companies perform if ever they are on tour. In this case, the Las Vegas Dance Company was rehearsing for their show, the romantic and tragic (add boring) tale of 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Alaine Tripman was supposed to play Juliet. And she's dead.

"Did you know that Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' is one of the most danced story in the world of ballet?" Christianna said as she kneeled down to bag a fiber.

"Don't forget several reincarnations in the movies." Catherine replied as she snapped away.

"Is the sandbag really the cause of her death?" Chris asked Grissom. She was now looking at the rope that used to hold the 'murder weapon'.

"Its not an improbability, but we have to rule out several probable factors first." David answered for Grissom. Gil was looking up at the stage lights.

"The sandbag must have fallen down right?" Grissom asked.

David also looked up. "Well, probably yes." He answered.

"Well it might not be an accident. The end of the rope is too clean for a breakage. It was most probably cut." The young CSI said. Grissom went up the stage to look at it himself. She was right. The cut was too clean.

Sgt. O' Riley suddenly called out to him. The stage manager is ready for questioning. Grissom went with the burly sergeant to accompany in the questioning. 

Catherine was now gathering evidence near the corpse. The dead girl was beautiful. She had lovely black hair, which was still fixed in a bun, long eyelashes, straight nose, a lovely mouth. 

'A pity she died too early.' Catherine thought as she watch the EMT's put the victim inside a body bag. She shook her head, she was used to seeing dead bodies but she was not used seeing young lives being destroyed by mistakes, wrong decisions and accidents.

A while later, Grissom went back, his face a bit unreadable. He said to them in a clear voice, "The way up to where the sandbags and lights are, is broken. The stage manager said that there is no way up the stage walk." As he said this, he noticed that there were four metal bars hanging near the stage walk.

"Excuse me, but what are these for?" Grissom asked to the stage manager, who was being questioned at the back of the theater.

"Its for the aerial part of the ballet." He answered in a loud voice. Grissom looked up again. There was a four feet gap between the bars.

"Can we get them down, please? And the list of those who perform and handle them. Thank you" Grissom asked. The stage manager consented. A few minutes later, the bars were lowered. Catherine and Chris looked at him, a bit confused, but for different reasons.

"Aerial ballet in 'Romeo and Juliet'? For what part?" Chris asked.

'What's with the metal bars?" Catherine asked.

"The aerial ballet will be performed, according to the stage manager, at the part where Romeo climbs Juliet's terrace. The metal bars may be the only access up to the stage walk." Grissom said, answering both their questions.

"So we're going for fingerprints?" Chris asked. Dusting for fingerprints is one of the most tedious tasks in this job. 

A few hours later, they were finished with the fingerprints and most probably, finished with their shift. Warrick helped them an hour after they've started and they were going to extend a little for some more 'evidence' gathering.

Grissom's phone suddenly rang. He reached to his breast pocket and took the call.

"Grissom." He said. Seconds after the that greeting, he suddenly exclaimed, "What?! Yes, we'll be right there. Yes, stay in the hospital. Don't leave." He ended the call and faced the others.

"Sara fell down from the second floor of their crime scene. She was pushed. She's now in the hospital." 

*******

[At the hospital]

"Nick, how is she?" Grissom asked as the rest of the team streamed in the hospital corridor.

"The doctors said she'd be okay. But they're still checking." Nick replied. He looked worried and tired. The suspect fled again after Sara fell down. He also shot the officer at the scene. That officer is now in the ICU, fighting for his life.

Catherine sat down the chair. Grissom and the rest followed suit. A few minutes later, the doctors appeared.

"You may go see her." The doctor acknowledged. They waited for him to turn the corridor before going inside Sara's room. 

As they went in, they saw Sara, laid on the bed, deathly pale. She doesn't have any tubes that connect to some sort of machine, but she was lying on the bed, her head with a bandage. She looks dead.

They all sat down at the chairs provided for the visitors. Nick sat alone at the corner, near the bed, looking into the space. He felt at fault to what happened to Sara. 'If I didn't give in to what she persisted, she wouldn't be here.' He thought and closed his eyes.

Warrick was taking a nap besides Greg, who was unfortunately punched by one of the officers who thought he was the person behind the shooting. Greg got the crossword section of the paper and was answering it. 

Grissom was in between Catherine and Christianna. Catherine was reading one of the business sections of the newspaper while Grissom was reading the front page. Christianna was doing paperwork, one of the things she had managed to swipe when they hurriedly returned to the lab.

A couple of hours later, Nick suddenly said in a relieved voice, "You're awake, thank god." 

They all stood up. Sara was wide-awake; a bit confused, her dark brown eyes a contrast to her pale face.

"Hey Sar, you okay?" Warrick asked. All of them looked concerned. Sara looked at them. Her eyebrows knitting, she was really thinking hard.

"Sara, honey. Are you okay?" Catherine asked softly.

She slowly looked at their faces. They can see her blinking back the tears that were forming round her eyes.

"Who are you, people?"

A/N-Hello again. So, what do you think? Review please. Hope it didn't suck…


	2. two

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters nor do I profit economically when I write these fictions.

A/N- Hello. Thank you for your reviews. They really help. My Grammar and History teachers also pointed out some of my contradicting tenses, so I guess that's my weakness. 

KNYC, thank you for pointing out that I should PROOF READ. But I guess you should too, because I had to read your review thrice to understand what you tried to say.

To all who reviewed, thanks again.

Hope you like the following chapters. :D

****

CHAPTER TWO

__

Sara was inspecting the crime scene alone, with a police officer, whom introduced himself as Charles Jeremiah. She told Nick that she could manage the whole floor by herself and he said yes after she persisted.

Sara was examining the pool of blood when they heard a small crash somewhere. She raised her head, and looked at the officer. Both were wondering what caused the sounds.

"I'll check it out." She heard him say. She acknowledged what he said, but continued to work on the scene.

When Officer Jeremiah hadn't returned a few minutes later, Sara stopped working and checked on him.

She was nearing one of the unfinished sections of the floor when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw a figure, slightly smaller than Officer Jeremiah, coming towards her. She instinctively reached for her gun.

"Excuse me, sir. But you're not allowed here." She said in a firm voice. Her right hand was poised in her holster if the figure suddenly attacks her.

The shape went towards her. She can now see his face. He has a scar in his right cheek and he was wearing thick glasses.

"Can you please tell me where Cindy went?" The man asked. He was holding a gun.

"Cindy?" Sara asked. Then she remembered. Brass ID'd the victim as Cindy Ryan.

"Where's Cindy?!" The man demanded. He was shaking the gun in front of her. Sara had no choice but to raise both her hands.

"I don't know. I'm only here to collect something." Sara replied. She was praying for intervention, like what happened when they were kidnapped.

"Then why were you with that police man? Tell me where Cindy is!" 

"I don't know. What did you do to the officer?" Sara asked. The guy was walking towards her and she was stepping back. They were nearing the edge of the building.

"He was interfering. I didn't mean to shoot him." He replied.

"Shoot him?" Sara asked, unbelievingly. She didn't hear any shots fired.

The man shrugged and let down his guard. Sara saw a chance to disable him. She lunged towards his eyeglasses. 'People who wear glasses this thick are most probably blind without them.' She thought as she reached for it. But the man was amazingly quick. 

They struggled. Sara managed to punch him while he managed to tear the sleeve of her blouse and elbow her in the stomach. She was able to get the gun from him. But when she did, the man pushed her.

Sara staggered back and tripped on one of the debris lying around. She fell down. The man kept coming towards her. She frantically stood up. She was at the edge of the building and her voice seemed stuck in her throat.

'Why doesn't someone notice that there's a commotion up here?' she thought as she looked at the man, fearing what he will do.

"You shouldn't have done that." He said, smiling as he leapt forward and pushed her to the edge.

Sara reacted to late and felt her feet leave the cement floor. She felt the pull of gravity and felt the air below passed by her.

'I'm going to die.'

Sara jolted awake. 'Was that a dream? Or am I remembering something?' she thought and looked around the room. She saw a brown-haired guy sitting near the bed.

"Hey, you're awake." He said as he smiled at her.

"Hi. Its… Nick, right?" she asked. she can remember her childhood, her high school university life. But she can't remember anything after her college graduation. Weird.

"Yeah." Nick answered. "Are you hungry?" he asked. He brought along bagels and orange juice in case Sara wakes up famished.

"A bit. Uh, no offense or anything, but what are you doing here?" Sara asked.

"Shift's ended. I wanted to check how you're doing." Nick answered as he gave her the plate of bagels.

"That's kind of you. Where'd you get the plate?" Sara said.

"It was lying around." Nick replied and sat down again. 

"So, who's working with you now?" Sara asked as she took a bite on the bagel. She was sort of 'reviewed' on what she does for a living.

"Uh, Warrick."

"Warrick." Sara repeated. She remembered the green eyed African-American who asked if she was okay when she first woke up.

"Uh, he's the…" Nick said.

"Yeah, I know who he is."

"Sorry." Nick said. 'Sara has temporary amnesia, not short term memory loss.' He said to himself. He looked at Sara with an apologetic look.

"Its okay." Sara said and smiled at him.

"Do you want the orange juice?" Nick asked as he stood up to get the Coleman.

"Yeah, thanks." Sara replied. 'Nick is acting like a… a very affectionate older brother.' She thought to herself as she observes him pouring the orange juice to the glass.

"Here." He said and gave her the glass.

"Thank you."

Just as then, somebody knocked on the door and opened it. 

It was Catherine.

"Good morning." She greeted and gave Sara a big smile. "You look better today." She said and gave her a small vase of flowers and a card.

"Its from Lindsey. She's in school." Catherine said.

"Thank you… Catherine." Sara replied. When she first woke up after the fall, the only person she vaguely remembered was Grissom. She thought Catherine was his wife.

"You're welcome." Catherine said. "Oh, hi Nick." She greeted, after noticing the young man.

"Hey." He greeted back. "How's Lindsey?"

"Oh, she's fine. Just having a hard time with her math." Catherine replied as she sat down the chair next to Sara.

"What are they discussing in math?" Sara asked.

"Fractions. Which is a pain, since I hated fractions when I was a kid." Catherine said. She didn't like looking for the lowest term of fractions and hated it whenever she computes one number wrong, therefore making the fraction wrong.

"Me too." Sara answered.

"Fractions are handy when you're the youngest child." Nick said, his eyes twinkling. As the youngest, he was normally given the biggest share when his grandmother gives them cake.

They talked for a while, until Sara's doctor came. They said goodbye to her and promised they'll be back, together with the rest of the team.

*********

"So, how's Sara doing?" Grissom asked Christianna. They were in the lay out room, checking out some of the physical evidences.

"She's doing fine. Why? You haven't visited her since the day we first learned that she has amnesia?" Christianna asked. She was recreating the scene using the lab's computer programs.

"No, I haven't had the time." Grissom said.

"Hmm…" was Chris's reply. She visits Sara in the afternoon because she doesn't want her to see that she's tired.

A few minutes later, Grissom asked Christianna to switch off the lights. He has sprayed luminol on one of the metal bars. She obeyed and when the lights were off, the metal bar showed a streak of purple glow.

"There's blood." Christianna said. 

"But that doesn't mean that it came from our suspect." Grissom replied.

"Yes, but you found blood on the ropes. It might be from the same person." Christianna countered.

"It might. But it might not be from the same person." Grissom said. Christianna smiled and resumed creating a 3-D version of their crime scene.

A few minutes later, Catherine arrived.

"Hello." Christianna greeted.

"Hi. Can company dancers be stage hands too?" Catherine asked to both Grissom and Christianna. She was holding several papers.

"Not really. The dancers might injure themselves." Christianna answered.

"There are employees of the theater that actually have those job." Grissom said.

"Well, there's a Mr. Barton. A Martin Barton, who isn't in the list of the stagehands, but I found his name in the cast. He's Romeo. And his fingerprints were all over the bars. He also has a record for resisting arrest."

"He wasn't in the theater when Alaine Tripman died?" Christianna asked.

"Brass gave me the list of the people in the theater when Alaine Tripman died. Martin Barton wasn't on the list." Grissom answered.

"The blood on the rope doesn't have a match, by the way." Catherine added.

"Well then, why don't we ask Brass to invite Mr. Barton here?" Grissom asked.

"You're the boss." Catherine replied.

"Okay. Chris, finish the simulation and after that, check Martin Barton's files, if ever he has one. Catherine will be with me. If you need anything, just call any of us." Grissom said and went out of the room. Catherine shook her head, smiled at Chris and followed Grissom.

Christianna made a face and tried to finish the simulation. She wants to finish early so that she can see if Martin Barton is worthy to be Romeo and if he has any motives to kill his Juliet.

A/N- Sorry, it's a bit short… Please review… thank you…


	3. three

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters nor do I profit when I write stories about them. This is only for my personal enjoyment. Thank you…

****

CHAPTER THREE

"Thank you, Mr. Barton, for receiving us at such an ungodly hour." Grissom said. O'Riley called Martin Barton before they set off to his house to fetch him. He was being very cooperative.

"Eleven pm is not really late for me at this moment." He replied.

"Mr. Barton, we called in because we found your fingerprints all over the metal bars for the aerial ballet. The company manager informed us that none of the dancers are allowed to assist in the changing of the sets. You are the only company dancer who has their fingerprints on the bars." Catherine started as he showed him a comparison of his fingerprint and the fingerprint they found on the metal bars.

"Can you please explain to us why your fingerprints are on the bars?" Grissom asked.

Martin Barton looked at the printouts and then sighed.

"I… I can't tell you that." He replied.

Grissom, O'Riley and Catherine looked at each other.

"Sir, if you don't tell us, you are going to be considered as a suspect. Your career might as well be over." Catherine said.

"If I tell you why my fingerprints are on those bars, my career will be over for the Las Vegas Dance Company." 

"Mr. Barton, what you tell us is not going to go out of this room." Sgt. O'Riley said.

It took a long time before he answered.

"I am an aerial dancer for another company."

"So?" Catherine asked.

"That's not allowed! If my company knew that I'm doing another thing than ballet, especially that I am a principal dancer, and might lead to me becoming injured, I'll be let go." He answered.

"But why are your fingerprints in the metal bars?" Grissom asked.

"I was testing them out. One night, I was rehearsing and there were a few people around. I asked that the bars be lowered as if there will be someone performing. Then I did the aerial dancer's routine."

"You said there were a few people. How can you be sure that you weren't seen?" Grissom asked.

"They were stage hands, employed by the theater. They aren't really familiar with the rules the company has." Martin Barton looked at them and asked uncomfortably, "May I go now?"

O'Riley sighed then looked at Grissom and Catherine. "Okay sir, you may go." They watched as he stood up and left.

"You believe him?" O'Riley asked.

"I don't know." Catherine answered then looked at Grissom.

"No." Grissom said. "He's hiding something."

"Well then, you CSI's have to get more evidences to prove he's hiding something, right?" O'Riley said.

"Yeah." Catherine said and stood up.

"We'll call you when we have something." Grissom said as he went out of the room. Catherine was already out.

"Something's bothering you." Catherine said to Grissom. They were on their way to the lay out room.

"Nothing. We just have no suspects." Grissom answered.

Catherine looked at him. "Someone's going to turn up soon."

"Let's just hope it's the right person." Grissom said.

They reached the lay out room and found it empty. The computer was still on the table and there was a note. There was also a thick folder on the table.

"Chris's is finished with the simulation." Catherine said after reading the note.

"Where is she?" Grissom asked as he took the folder.

"Well, it said here DNA lab." Catherine replied as she read the note again. She then opened the laptop and accessed the simulation mode. "You know, Chris is a bit surprising. She's very good with multi-tasking."

"She's very bubbly too. You wont really know that she works with death." Grissom answered as he looked at Catherine.

"I've noticed that she seems to know everything about us but we don't know everything about her." Catherine replied.

"She's just shy that her background isn't exactly the same as ours. Nor will it come close to ours. You know how some people are."

"Yeah. She's from an influential family, super rich, talented, well traveled. I heard some police officers talking about her, and sometimes, I don't know if they are complimenting her or not." Catherine said. "Here's the simulation."

Grissom closed the folder and went closer to Catherine. He looked at the computer.

"That's quite long. Do you have any popcorn?"

*********

"Hey, do you have anything on those glasses we found on the crime scene?" Nick asked as he went inside the DNA lab. Christianna and Greg were there.

"Nope. I have fingerprints but no DNA, which is a bit weird." Greg answered.

"What about the cigarette butts?" Nick asked.

"Still working on it."

"Cindy Ryan?" Nick asked again.

"Well, she's been arrested several times for fencing stolen goods but nothing that might point to it being the motive for her death. No relatives and no address." Greg answered.

"Okay. What are you doing here?" Nick asked Christianna.

"Waiting for something." Christianna answered. "I heard you've been visiting Sara everyday."

Greg looked at her then to Nick. "Really?" he asked.

Nick's face reddened. "I was just visiting."

"The nurses said that you bring her food everyday and that they don't really expect to bring in breakfast anymore, just plates and glasses." Christianna said.

"I know what hospital food taste like. Its disgusting." Nick answered.

Christianna looked at him and raised her left eyebrow.

"Okay, whatever you say." She said, and then turned to Greg. "Just call me when you've got the results." And went out.

"Okay." Greg answered.

Nick sat down on the empty chair and mulled around.

"Nick, we've got nothing on the glasses." Greg said.

"We have fingerprints. We can start on that." Nick replied.

"Yes, we have fingerprints but we don't have a match."

Nick sighed. "Call me when the cigarette's done. I'm going to dig more about Cindy Ryan."

"Okie dokie."

***

"Where did you get these?" Catherine asked interestedly to Christianna, showing the papers in the folder. They were still in the lay out room.

"The computer." Christianna answered.

"How did you get them?"

"Connection to the internet."

"You got Martin Barton's psychological profile in the Internet?" Catherine asked.

Christianna looked at her. "Not really. But don't worry, I didn't hack into computer programs to get that." She answered. "What did Martin Barton said to you earlier?"

"He said he was into aerial dancing. That was his reason why his fingerprints appeared on the metal bars."

"Did you know that he and Alaine Tripman used to date?" Christianna asked.

"Now where did you get that?!" Catherine asked.

"Its there. On the papers in the folder and the surveillance pictures."

Catherine looked at the papers. There were black and white pictures taken by a surveillance camera and e-mail trails.

"Are you sure you obtained them legally?" Catherine asked.

Christianna smirked. "Of course, Catherine. I have a friend who owes me a favor and he got them from me."

"This won't hold up in court if you got them through hacking." Catherine said.

"Catherine, I didn't hack computers nor did I bribe people to give those information to me. My friend can testify in court if you want him to."

Catherine sighed. Then, Grissom entered the lay out room followed by Nick, Warrick and Greg.

"Hey. You're going to hold a troupe meeting?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah. Sara's doctor just called…"

"At this hour?" Christianna asked.

"Yes. Anyway, Sara is ready to be discharged by the hospital. Now the doctor is asking if she has any place to go since she can't live alone."

"Why discharge her if she can't live alone?" Greg asked.

"It's a matter of relearning and remembering things, Greg. You can't expect Sara to remember part of her life when she's inside the hospital." Grissom explained.

"Anyway, she can't live alone because as everybody know, Sara doesn't know how to cook and currently, she's on a sick leave. She also refuses to go to her parents." Grissom looked around to his team.

"So she's going to stay with any of us?" Nick asked.

"That is what the doctor suggested."

There was a pause.

"She can stay with us." Christianna said.

Grissom, Catherine, Nick, Warrick and Greg looked at her.

"Wait, you live with your parents. Do they know?" Nick said.

"Yeah, do Aunt Camille and Uncle Samuel know?" Greg asked.

"Yes. I wouldn't be volunteering my house if they didn't volunteer it first. I mean, I told them about the accident and they told me that if Sara needs to live somewhere not her house, she can stay with us." Christianna said. "But then again, you can ask Sara who she wants to stay with."

"Well, Sara said to her doctor that she could stay with anyone in this team." Grissom said.

"Don't worry, Nick. You can visit her." Greg said teasingly. Everybody looked at Nick.

"Okay, I guess its settled then." Grissom said after a few embarrassing seconds.

Nick, Warrick and Greg streamed out of the lay out room to go back to their respective works. Grissom then turned his attention back to Catherine and Christianna.

"So, I heard something about hacking."


	4. four

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters nor do I profit when I write stories about them. This is the only way I can think of stopping the characters from dancing in my head together with the characters in ALIAS. Thank you.

A/N- Sorry for the late update. I was suffering from writer's block and even if its vacation time for students in our country, I am cursed to study for the entrance exams for college. Wish me luck.

Enjoy!

****

CHAPTER **FOUR**

"Is this on purpose? Trying to make me angry?!" Greg asked to Deia Reynolds, one of the new CSI from dayshift, who is currently on overtime.

"No, of course not, Mr. Sanders." She replied as she smiled at him. Greg had tried to flirt with her but, unfortunately, failed to get the results he wanted.

"Then, why are you doing this? Why?" Greg asked.

"Why, what?" A voice asked. It was his cousin. "Oh, hi, Deia." Christianna greeted as she went inside the Greg's lab.

"Hi, Chris." Deia greeted.

"You know her? You know each other?!" Greg exclaimed.

"Of course we know each other. We're friends." Christianna answered.

Greg sputtered.

"Mr. Sanders, you sound like a car." Deia commented.

"Why are you irritating me? I told you earlier that your evidences are not yet finished. That was an hour ago, and now you're here again. Come back later!" Greg said to Deia.

"Greg, you just have to tell that to her. No need to get angry." Christianna said as she eyed her cousin.

"Well, Ms. Reynolds hasn't been listening." Greg answered sarcastically. 

"Okay then, I'll just come back later." Deia replied and said goodbye to Chris.

They watched as Deia walk out and disappear from sight.

"What was that all about?" Christianna asked as she turned to Greg.

"Nothing." Greg answered and turned away from her. "What are you doing here anyway?" he asked.

"Just came to say hi. I just arrived and shift hasn't started yet, in case you didn't notice."

"But, Deia's in overtime." Greg said, a bit confused.

"Her shift ended two hours ago, at six." Christianna replied. Greg shrugged then resumed doing his work. Christianna watched from behind, not really pestering him, which she does a lot.

Silence.

"You fancy her, don't you?" She asked after a few minutes.

Greg whirled around to face her. She and her twin have this reputation in the family as 'mind readers'.

"Fancy? I don't fancy Deia Reynolds, super witch!"

"She's not a witch. She's nice." Christianna said, hiding her amusement as he turned his back against her again.

"That's what you think." Greg answered, miffed.

Christianna pursed her lips then laughed. Greg turned to look at her again.

"What?"

"You fancy her but you know that she pushes every guy who takes notice of her. So you act like you don't like her so that she will take notice of you. Am I right?"

Greg raised an eyebrow. Christianna smiled at him then looked at her watch. "I've got to go, Grissom and Catherine's going to interview Mr. Barton again." 

Greg just watched his cousin skip out of the room. 'Damn it. She read my mind."

***

"Mr. Barton, why did you not tell us that you and Alaine Tripman had a personal relationship?" Catherine asked. Martin Barton was sitting on the aluminum chair, his head, looking at his hands.

"You didn't ask." He replied.

"Mr. Barton, can you give us some blood samples?" Grissom asked.

"Listen, don't ask me that question because I didn't tell you that Alaine and I went out on dates. That's not fair. I love… I loved Alaine. And I didn't kill her."

Catherine and Grissom looked at each other.

"No one in the company knows. The company forbids us to date each other. It says that it might affect our dancing." Martin Barton continued.

"Oh, like your aerial dancing career?" Catherine retorted.

"This is different. You can't control this kind of feeling. You do know that. Alaine knew that I was into aerial dancing. She was enthralled when I showed her one exhibition."

"Well then, Mr. Barton. Since you knew her, can you please give us a reason why she might have been killed?" Grissom asked. "Does she have enemies…?"

"She doesn't have any enemies. But she has this rivalry with another dancer. Her name's Elisabeth Denver. But it's a healthy competition. They're childhood friends."

"Are you sure they're friends?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah. They go out for coffee together, sometimes go out to catch some movies. They were dancing together since they were little." He answered.

"So, she's not really jealous that Alaine got the role of Juliet?" Catherine asked.

"Elisabeth is Alaine's counterpart. They're both Juliet." Martin Barton answered.

"Who's your counterpart?" Grissom asked.

"Ben Tyler."

"Are you and Ben Tyler good friends too?" Grissom asked.

"We're friends. In this business, it's hard to have enemies. Because you might get discriminated with the roles you're going to get."

"So you try to be friends with everybody?"

"Not really. I just try to be a nice guy."

"Can you be a nice guy and give us some blood sample?" Catherine asked.

Martin Barton looked at her then to Grissom.

"Just to exonerate me? Fine! Take ten gallons if you want!"

"A small prick will do, Mr. Barton." Catherine commented. She then went to Grissom then whispered to his ear, "Do you think he'll agree if we ask him to participate in a lie detector test?"

"Leave that to me."

*********

[That weekend]

"Ms. Christianna and Ms. Sidle are upstairs." Agatha, the housekeeper told Warrick, Nick and Greg. It was the first time for Warrick and Greg to visit Sara in the Johanson house and the second time for Nick.

They went up the magnificent stairs and proceeded to the family room. The trek up the stairs brought back memories for Warrick. He remembered going up this stairs to find evidences 

As they went up, they heard people laughing. It was Sara, Chris and her mother. They were watching something on television.

"Hi Greg, Warrick, Nick." Chris said and smiled at them. The three men smiled back.

"Good afternoon, ma'am." Nick said to Mrs. Johanson.

"Hello, boys. Oh, have a seat." She said as she stood up.

"No need to do that, Aunt Camille." Greg said as he kissed his aunt on the cheek.

His aunt smiled. "I'll be cooking dinner, honey." She replied then left.

"What are you watching?" Warrick asked as they sat down the sofa.

"A comedy." Sara answered. The three men realized that Sara and Christianna were watching a comedy made by the French, acted by the French and spoken in French. There were no English subtitles.

"Its in French." Nick remarked.

"Uh, Sara stumbled upon this movie. And surprisingly she knows the language." Christianna explained.

"I didn't know that." Nick said.

"Its funny." Chris replied. "It's going to finish soon."

"You know French?" Warrick asked.

"Yeah. A bit." The girl answered. A comment from one of the French actors made the women laugh. But Nick, Warrick and Greg didn't understand a thing that was said.

A few minutes later, the end credits rolled.

"So, what do you want to watch?" Sara asked then smiled at them.

"What have you got?" Nick asked.

"A lot?" Christianna answered. "Or do you want to play the Play Station?"

"Do you have new titles?" Greg asked.

"Yeah. She has. We played it already. Some sort of spy thing." Sara said.

"Syphon Filter 4." Christianna replied.

"Really?! I've been looking for that game!" Nick, Warrick and Greg said in unison.

Sara giggled. "They really are crazy about Play Station games." She remarked. Warrick glanced at her. Sara looked more relaxed here than in the hospital.

"Want to play it?" Christianna asked, smiling. The boys all nodded simultaneously. Christianna moved towards a table behind the television and took out the Play Station 2. She quickly installed the machine.

"So, Sara, how are you?" Warrick asked.

Sara smiled at him.

"I'm fine. I remember some things once in a while, but not really helpful." 

"Don't say that. When you remember something, that's already a sign that you are recovering." Nick said.

"Will I plug it in?" They heard Greg ask. Christianna gave him a nod and the Play Station came to life.

"I have four controllers." Christianna said as she gave them one each. "Do you want to play, Sara?" she asked. Nick, Warrick and Greg went out of their seats to sit on the carpet.

"No, I'll just watch. I like it better when I don't do the actual killing." Sara answered.

Christianna smiled at her. "Sara's very good at this."

"Really?" Nick asked, glancing at Sara.

Chris nodded her head. Just as then, her father walked in.

"Hi dad." Chris greeted.

"Hello, honey." Samuel Johanson said as he surveyed the people around the room. "Is everyone okay?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Yes, Uncle Samuel." Greg answered.

"Are you boys going to the charity ball organized by the mayor?" Christianna's father asked.

"We need to. Everyone's invited." Warrick answered as he paused the game.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Hey, Chris, do you need a partner?" Greg asked.

"Uh… no. I already have one." Chris answered.

"You do?" Greg asked, a bit surprised. He looked at Sara. "Do you know who it is?" Greg asked her.

"Yeah." Sara said then looked at Christianna.

"He's an intern in the hospital." Christianna said, without looking at Greg.

"Dr. Michael Greenfield." Sara said.

"Greenfield? Jonathan and Laura Greenfield's son?" Christianna's father asked.

"Yeah… I think so." Christianna asked. 

"Jonathan and Laura Greenfield? Wow." Warrick said, whistling.

"Why?" Christianna asked. Warrick, Nick and Greg were looking at her as if she was from outer space.

"Jonathan and Laura Greenfield are like, the Hiltons when it comes to wine. Excellent wines, by the way." Warrick said.

"They are?"

Her father said something in Norwegian that sent Greg laughing so hard.

"I'm not going to marry him, daddy." Christianna said as her face turned fiery red, almost the same color as her hair.

"Have fun, boys." Samuel Johanson said as he went down. Greg was still laughing.

"What did your father say?" Sara asked.

"Nothing…" Chris answered. "I'll tell you later." She whispered.

They resumed the game. Nick was the poorest player, dying five times, straight in a row. He stopped playing after dying for the eleventh time and joined Sara, who was sitting on the sofa.

"So, how do you find the game?" Nick asked.

"I think your playing sucks." Sara said, smiling.

Nick smiled back. "Yeah, I think I agree with you."

He then watched Chris and Warrick pummel Greg in the three-player mini-game.

"So… uh…" Nick said after a few minutes. He was summoning his courage to ask Sara to be his date on the charity ball in front of his three colleagues.

"What?" Sara asked, pulling her gaze away from the television.

"Can you be my date in the charity ball?" 

Sara looked at him. She can feel the 'discreet' glances of Christianna, Greg and Warrick.

Sara smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'll go to the charity ball with you."

Nick looked at her, a bit surprised. He didn't expect that Sara would answer him right away or actually accept his invitation.

"You will?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, I will." Sara answered, still smiling at him.

"That's great." Nick said then smiled back.

He still has that smile on is face when he arrived home.


	5. five

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters nor do I profit when I write these fictions. Thank you.

A/N- sorry for the late update

CHAPTER FIVE

Warrick is in front of the computer, reading Cindy Ryan's files, while waiting for a result for their partial fingerprint. Nick stumbled upon the fingerprint when he checked a coin found in the scene. Christianna was able to give him their victim's 'missing' files, the one Greg and Nick didn't find. He doesn't know where she got them.

He was halfway through with them when Nick came in.

"Hey, War. Guess who dropped by." Nick said as he entered.

Warrick turned around and saw Sara standing by the doorway.

"Hey, Sara. You getting bored in the Johanson Mansion?" Warrick joked as he smiled at her.

"Kind of." She answered as she entered. Nick gave her a chair to sit on. "Thanks." She said to him as she sat down.

"So, what are you doing?" Sara asked.

"Uh… I'm running a partial fingerprint through AFIS." Warrick answered. Sara nodded. She just doesn't know if she understood what Warrick just said.

"What are you holding?" Nick asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Cindy Ryan's files."

"But they're not that extensive." Nick said, taking note of the thickness of the folder.

"Chris gave them to me. I just don't know where she got them." Warrick answered, a bit mystified. "She got Cindy Ryan's birth certificate, adoption papers, school transcripts, surveillance photos, her court papers, release papers. I mean everything. There's even a cross reference to all the names!"

"Do they help?" Sara answered.

"A bit. It gives us a lot of possible suspects. But Chris already eliminated some of them." Warrick replied. Nick took the folder from him to take a look.

Suddenly the computer beeped. After a few hours of waiting, they already have a match.

Warrick turned to the computer while Nick and Sara went closer.

A picture of a good-looking man appeared on screen.

"Dan Hecht, arrested twice for selling stolen goods. He's also a part time pimp." Warrick announced. "But he can't be our guy since he was only released yesterday."

Silence.

"That can't be. He was in the scene. His fingerprints were in the coin." Nick said.

"Well, his records say he wasn't in the scene." Warrick replied. Nick looked at Sara.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked in a concerned tone as he kneeled next to her. Sara was so pale, and she looks like she's in shock. She's looking at the computer.

Warrick and Nick looked at each other. They then looked at the computer. Dan Hecht's picture is the source of Sara's shock.

Warrick turned off the monitor and then turned his attention back to Sara.

"Are you okay?" Warrick asked. Sara nodded her head.

"I'll get a glass of water." Nick said as he stood up and hurriedly went out of the room.

"What's wrong Sar?" Warrick asked. Sara shook her head. "Its okay."

"I remember him… he pushed me… he…" Sara trailed off, but was stopped by Warrick.

"Okay… uh… just stop thinking about him, okay?" Warrick said. A little while later, Nick arrived, holding a glass of water.

"Sorry if it took so long." Nick said and handed Sara the glass of water.

"Feel better?" Nick asked after a few minutes.

"A bit." Sara mumbled. She was looking down.

"Do you want to go out here for a while? Like stay inside the break room a bit?" Nick asked. Sara didn't answer.

"Sara?" Nick asked again.

"I'm okay." Sara said, looking up at him. She gave Nick a little smile. "I'm okay." She repeated.

"Okay. But lets go see Dr. Robbins, anyway." Nick said. Sara raised an eyebrow. "You know, just in case." Nick said.

"Fine." Sara said and stood up.

"Okay… uh… just come back when everything's okay." Warrick said as the two went out of the lab.

-xxx-

"Hey, boss." Greg greeted as he went met Grissom in the corridor.

Grissom looked at him.

"The blood stain that you got from the rope doesn't match your suspect." Greg said as he gave the results to Grissom.

"Thank you, Greg." Grissom said as he looked at it.

"Uh… Gris? You know the charity ball the mayor organized?" Greg asked.

"What about it?" Grissom asked, looking up from the paper.

"Are you going?" Greg asked.

"Why do you ask?" Grissom replied.

"Nothing…"

"The sheriff wants us to go. And I don't really know why he's insisting that we all attend the charity ball."

"So, that means, you're going?" Greg asked.

"Yes."

Grissom continued to walk when Greg seemed to have the answer he wanted.

"Whom will you go with?" Greg asked when Gil was a few meters away.

Grissom turned to look at him then shrugged. He then continued to go to his office. On his short walk, he met Brass.

"Oh, hey, Gil. You going to the charity ball?" Brass asked.

"Why is everybody asking me that question?" Grissom asked back as he looked at the police chief.

"Well, if you have seen the invitation, there is a line that says, _black tie affair_. Its going to be a formal event. Tuxedo, the works." Brass answered.

"So?" Grissom asked.

"Well, sometimes, it implies that you should have somebody with you, right? Like a date or something."

"Whom are you going with?" Gil asked.

"I don't know. I heard Nick's going with Sara and Warrick with one of the pretty tech girls. The Johanson kid is going with a doctor and Greg… I think he's aiming for the new girl in dayshift. What about you?" Brass asked.

"I don't know. I might go alone." Grissom answered.

"I hear Catherine's going alone too. Why not ask her if she can come with you?" Brass said.

"Jim, what are you doing?" Grissom asked.

"Nothing."

Grissom looked at him weirdly. Brass smiled at him.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help." Brass said.

"Trying to help him with what?" Catherine asked, appearing behind them.

Both men looked at her.

"Nothing." They simultaneously answered.

Catherine looked at them. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Nothing… I better be going, I think I still have some paperwork to do." Brass said and left them.

"What's with him?" Catherine asked after Brass has gone.

"He was asking if I am going to go to the Mayor's charity ball." Grissom answered as they continued to walk.

"Well, are you?" Catherine asked.

"Yes."

"Whom are you going with?" Catherine asked.

"You're the third person to ask me that question." Grissom said as they entered his office.

"Well, we're interested." Catherine said, taking a seat.

"I'm going alone." Grissom replied after sitting on his comfy leather chair.

"Ah, flying solo." Catherine remarked as she looked at him. "I'm going alone too."

"Who's going to stay with Lindsey?" Grissom asked.

"Mrs. Wynters, the next door neighbor." Catherine answered.

"So…" Grissom trailed off.

"So…" Catherine said.

Gil looked at her. Catherine looked back. She smiled.

"I've been thinking, why not go together?" Grissom said.

"Go together? You mean to the charity ball?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah. I mean, if you want to."

"Sure. It would be fun. We'll have fun." Catherine said.

Grissom smiled.

"The Las Vegas Dance Company will be there." Catherine said after a few minutes.

"Great. We can have fun… and scope for possible suspects at the same time."


	6. six

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, except for the Greenfield and Johanson family, (with the exception of Greg), the victims and the suspects. Thank you and have a nice day.

A/N- I'm sorry for the very late update. Our computer crashed and school already started. I'm really, really sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

****

CHAPTER SIX

"You look very beautiful." Grissom complimented Catherine as they walked, arm in arm, to the grand hall of the hotel. Catherine is wearing a blue gown that matches her eyes. She is also wearing a matching sapphire earrings and necklace. Her hair is up in a French twist, with a few locks framing her face

What he actually said is an understatement. Catherine is gorgeous.

"Thank you." She replied and smiled at him. Grissom doesn't look bad himself. The black tuxedo makes him look more dashing.

"The color of your eyes contrasts your tux. It's very sexy." Catherine remarked. Her comment surprised Grissom a bit. Catherine laughed when she saw his face. Grissom just smiled and shook his head.

The grand hall is twinkling with lights and filled with beautiful music when they went in.

"Wow, the mayor really prepared for this party. I wonder how much these all cost." Catherine whispered to him as they went down.

"Maybe the same amount the charity ball will receive." Grissom replied, noting that there are a lot of VIP's present.

Brass was the first familiar face that greeted them.

"Hey. I thought you two were going alone." Brass commented. He is holding a glass of champagne and looking a bit uncomfortable with his clothes.

Both didn't reply. Catherine just smiled at him while Grissom raised a brow. A few minutes later, Dr. Robbins, with his wife, joined them.

"Who's the guy Christianna's talking to?" Catherine asked when she saw her teenage colleague, wearing a green evening gown, by the ice statue, talking to an attractive young man in his early twenties.

"Oh, he's an intern in the hospital. Michael Greenfield." Dr. Robbins answered.

"The boy I was telling you about." Brass said when Catherine didn't seem to recognize the name.

"Ooh. Wine guy." Catherine said, as she sipped her champagne.

Later on, Christianna and her friend joined them. Christianna introduced him to them, omitting the part that he is the son of Jonathan and Laura Greenfield, the famous wine makers.

Nick and Sara arrived a few minutes later, together with Warrick and Mandy one of the pretty lab techs. Sara looks very beautiful, wearing a black gown that compliments her creamy skin. Warrick and Nick both look extremely handsome in their tuxedoes. Warrick's partner, Mandy also looks very pretty for this occasion.

"Where's Greg?" Nick asked, looking around.

Just as he said that, Greg arrived, beaming from ear to ear. Holding his arm is Deia Reynolds. Deia seems to enjoy Greg's company.

"Wow, I guess Greg finally succeeded in asking Reynolds out." Brass stated and smiled.

-xxx-

Sara and Nick are seated in one of the tables with Greg and Deia. Two more people are missing in their table. The four of them were talking about one of the recent discoveries in forensics when the missing guests arrived at the table.

It was Hank and Elaine.

"When they said everybody was invited, they really mean it." Greg whispered to Nick after Elaine smiled at them and Hank acknowledged their presence. Sara didn't seem to remember Hank.

"Hi Sara." Hank greeted.

"Uh… hello?" Sara answered uncertainly. She recognizes the face but she can't recall who he is or what his 'significance' in her life is.

"Who's he?" Sara whispered to Nick when Hank began to talk to them in a slightly arrogant tone.

"You don't remember him?" Nick asked in the same tone. He's a bit amused but at the same time, fighting an urge to punch Hank in the face.

"No." Sara replied, discreetly looking at Hank and Elaine. Hank seems gregarious while Elaine seems shy. But their faces are stirring up several emotions that Sara could identify as annoyance.

"That's Hank. He's your… ex." Nick answered after a few minutes. His answer placed a slight frown on Sara's pretty face and she seemed uncertain with his answer. She then returned her attention to the people in their table. Greg seems to be having a good time with Deia and vice versa.

Their dinner arrived after a few minutes. The food is overflowing and there is an equal amount of food for the vegetarians and the non-vegetarians. They ate and at the same time, carrying out a sensible conversations. During this time, several questions began to pop inside Sara's mind.

"Are you sure he's just an ex? Why does his face evoke a feeling of irritation? Especially the girl with him? Did we split up amicably?" Sara whispered to Nick when their plates were cleared up.

Nick waited for a while to answer the question. He just stared at Sara, watching her, looking deeply in her brown eyes. He didn't notice Hank and Elaine leaving the table.

"Earth to Nick." Sara said after a few minutes. This appeared to startle him.

"Huh? Sorry. What were you asking again?" Nick asked.

"I asked if we separated amicably." Sara repeated, not at all bothered that Nick didn't seem to listen to her question.

"…I don't think so." Nick replied hesitantly. He doesn't want to tell her that Hank played with her feelings and that she was the 'second woman'. Sara repressed her anger with Hank and he doesn't know what her reaction will be if he tells her the whole truth.

Sara raised a brow. "Nick Stokes, don't you dare lie to me." She said in a chiding tone.

Nick sighed. "You wouldn't like it."

"So what? If I get back all my memories, I will have to live with it. I can't erase them, you know." Sara replied and gave him a challenging look.

"Fine." Nick said and leaned towards her to whisper the answer.

-xxx-

"So, Gris, I thought you were going alone?" Christianna asked Grissom when they were the only ones left in the table. Catherine went to the bathroom while her friend, Michael, got them drinks. Michael's parents were mingling with the crowd again.

"Why didn't you ask me that before we started eating?" Gil replied and amusedly looked at her.

Christianna smiled. "It's an embarrassing question."

Grissom shook his head and smiled back at his former student. "I thought Catherine was going with someone else."

"Hmm…" was Christianna's only reply and then smiled even more widely at him. Michael and Catherine returned and the two couples just stayed in their seats. A few minutes later, the orchestra started to play music again and the partygoers started to dance to the music.

"Want to dance?" Grissom asked Catherine. She amusedly looked at him.

"Okay." She replied and smiled at him. Grissom rarely shows this kind of 'spontaneity'.

Only Chris and Michael were left in the table.

"Are you having fun?" Michael asked her after a while.

"Are you?" Christianna replied, smiling at him. Her friend wasn't able to answer her because Greg and Deia sat down with them.

"How did Greg manage to convince you to go with him here?" Christianna teasingly asked Deia. Deia smiled at her.

"He didn't. I asked him." Deia answered.

"I said no at first." Greg interjected. This elicited a laugh from his date.

"Right." She said.

Just as then, a commotion happened in the middle of the dance floor. When they looked to see what it is, they found out that Sara punched Hank right in the face. Hank was sprawled on the floor with Elaine hovering around him. Nick was amusedly gaping at Hank and Elaine.

"Okay, who is he?" Christianna asked Greg.

"Hank." Was Greg's only answer. All four of them stared at the commotion, transfixed with what Sara did.

Hank stood up and glared at Sara. He was angry with what she did. Sara humiliated him in front Las Vegas' prominent people.

Hank turned to Elaine and gave her a deep, passionate kiss. It lasted for a few seconds and then gave a challenging look to Sara. He knows that she doesn't have any guts to do that to any man. Heck, she didn't even do that with him.

Sara saw the mean glint in Hank's eyes. She remembered what he did. She remembered the emotions she felt and repressed when she discovered him and Elaine. Nick's explanation was a mild comparison to what she remembers.

Without thinking, she faced Nick and kissed him. Kissed him with all the passion she can muster.

Nick instinctively put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. He didn't mind the stares they were getting from the guests.

The kiss ended with both of them breathless and shocked with what she did. Sara took a deep breath and looked at Hank. Hank's mouth was hanging open. It seems that he didn't expect her to kiss Nick.

Especially Nick.

Hank grabbed Elaine's hand and stormed out of the dancing area. Sara looked back at Nick and fixed his bow tie.

-xxx-

"Sara was very brave to punch Hank in front of a those people. It's very admiring." Catherine said. The party is finished and Grissom is driving her home.

"I think so too." Grissom replied and glanced at her. "Did you have a good time?" He asked.

"Yeah. How about you?" Catherine asked.

"I had a good time too." He answered. 'Especially because it was with you.' he thought and turned to the corner.

They sat in silence. Not that they had run out of things to talk about, it's just that the night was tiring. They can talk later.

A few minutes later, Grissom's car pulled up her driveway.

"Thanks." Catherine said and leaned forward to kiss him lightly in the cheek.

"Your welcome." Grissom replied. Catherine smiled at him and stepped out of the car.

[Meanwhile]

Nick is driving Sara back to the Johanson's. They didn't really talk much on the way home. Both were embarrassed with the way they acted awhile ago. A few minutes later, they were in front of the house. Nick walked with Sara to the front door.

"Did you enjoy it?" Nick asked as they were walking up the steps.

"Enjoy what? The kiss?" Sara replied as she looked at him.

"No, the party." Nick answered and looked at her. Sara smiled at him.

"Yeah, I enjoyed the party." Sara said. "Thanks for the ride. Goodnight." She said and opened the door.

"Yeah… uh goodnight too." Nick said. He was a bit disappointed that Sara didn't say anything about the kiss, because frankly, he liked it. He was walking back to his car when someone tapped his shoulder. He stopped and turned to look who tapped him. It was Sara.

"Uh, Nick? For the record, I enjoyed the punch _and_ the kiss."

Nick smiled a bit. "I enjoyed it too."

Sara leaned forward and planted a small kiss in his lips.

"Thank you for the ride again."

-xxx-

A/N- Hello… I hope you liked this chapter and all those 'kisses'. I promise that I will upload in the next five days (or less). Thank you and please leave a review. :-)


	7. seven

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, except for the original ones (meaning the Johanson and Greenfield family and the suspects and the victims) nor do I profit when I write these stories. Thank you and have a nice day.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Warrick is walking in the corridors of the LVPD-CSI building, feeling a little bit sleepy. Shift ended three hours ago but he and Nick are going to pull overtime.

He entered the break room and found Christianna sitting in front of a laptop, eating something. When she saw him, she immediately clasped the technological contraption shut and smiled at him.

"Good morning." She greeted happily.

"Hey." Warrick replied as he grabbed a cup of coffee. "What are you still doing here?"

Christianna smiled wider.

"Pulling overtime."

Her answer seemed innocent but to Warrick, her smile isn't. It seems mischievous, in a bad kind of way.

"Really?" Warrick asked, raising a brow. "Then what are you doing inside the break room, instead of your desk?"

"I was banished by Mr. Ecklie. He said that I'm messing with his CSI's heads." Christianna answered, shrugging. Just as then, her cellular phone rang.

"Excuse me." She said to Warrick as she received the call.

Warrick watched her over his cup of coffee. He enjoys the teenager's company and her funny quips about life and death. Her mannerism, the way she carries herself and her physical features doesn't scream "Hey, I'm Greg Sanders' cousin!'. But both Greg and Christianna have the same enthusiasm when it comes to work. Shane, Christianna's twin brother, and their parents also have the same zealous streak. The family seems to be a clan of enthusiastic workaholics.

'Wait a minute…' Warrick thought. 'Twins…'

"Yeah, thanks. I'll do that. See you later." He heard Christianna say and ended the call. She looked at Warrick. "Hey, what's with you?" she asked, a bit concerned when she saw his face.

"Twins."

Christianna furrowed her brows. "Okay. What about twins?" she asked, perplexed.

"Fraternal twins happen because the mother releases two egg cells and being fertilized by two sperm cells, right?" Warrick asked. She nodded her head. "And identical twins happen because of a single fertilized egg cell splitting into two, right?" he asked.

And again, Christianna nodded her head. "Identical twins have the same gender, DNA and fingerprints because they came from the same egg. Fraternal twins don't have the same DNA and fingerprints, but not necessarily gender."

Warrick was quiet for a while. Suddenly, he stood up and left the room.

He thinks he has found a break in their case.

-xxx-

"Ben Tyler is clean." Catherine said to Grissom. They were in the lay-out room checking and rechecking the evidence and circumstances in the case.

"What about Elisabeth Denver?" Grissom asked, not looking up from the folder.

"Just a few speeding tickets. Overall, she's clean." Catherine replied.

"What about the others? What about out vic's neighbors?" Grissom asked.

"Nope, everybody's clean."

They continued their work. Nobody seems to have a motive to kill Alaine Tripman. The case might as well be open until they find enough evidence that pinpoints to them their culprit.

A few minutes later, Catherine sighed. The sound prompted Grissom to look up from what he is reading.

"What is it?" he asked, carefully looking at Catherine's face. Catherine gave him a beleaguered smile.

"The case is a bit… slow."

"Well, sometimes, that's the way it is." Grissom replied.

"I know… but… never mind." She said and looked down at the papers.

After a few minutes, Christianna went in the room. "Hello, why the long faces?" she asked as she took a seat next to Catherine.

Catherine just smiled at her. She then noted that Christianna has another folder with her.

"Hacked another network?" Catherine jokingly asked. Christianna gave her a confused look.

"I don't hack…" she mumbled but gave the folder to Grissom. She gave another one to Catherine.

"Who is Taylor Benjamin?" Catherine asked when she saw a picture of a harried-looking, college aged, man inside the folder.

"Ben Tyler." Christianna answered. "He changed his name."

"He changed his name because he was expelled from his school and has a criminal record. He took ballet in his community center and found out that he's pretty good at it." Christianna continued, twirling her pen. "I don't think the name change is legal."

"I think so too. But why did you give this to us. What is the significance of Ben Tyler's change of name?" Grissom asked his former pupil.

"He's a stalker." Catherine answered. "Look in page three." She said to Grissom. Grissom looked at his folder and saw the portion Catherine is talking about.

"So, maybe you think that Ben Tyler stalked Alaine Tripman and eventually killed her?" Grissom asked.

"Her neighbors reported that he used to throw rocks in Alaine Tripman's window and calling out her name. Then it stopped about three months ago, when she started seeing Martin Barton." Christianna answered.

"Ben Tyler killed Alaine Tripman in jealous rage?" Catherine asked.

"Maybe." Christianna answered, shrugging her shoulders. "We won't really know if we don't ask."

"I'll call Brass then." Grissom said as he stood up. But before he left, he stopped and looked at Christianna.

"Chris, next time, no more hacking."

X0x0x0x0x0x0X

"Mr. Hecht, thank you for cooperating with us." Warrick said, looking at the man in front of him. They asked Dan Hecht's parole officer if he could come and give a statement.

"Hey, you're the one who asked my parole officer to make me come here. What's this all about, anyway?" Dan Hecht asked.

"We want to know if you have a twin brother." Nick answered. Dan Hecht looked at him.

"Why do you wanna know? Aint that in my file?" he asked, leaning on his chair. He was measuring the 'toughness' of the two CSI's.

"No, its not. Your… brother may be part of our investigation." Nick replied.

"Yeah, I have a twin brother. But he's a total opposite of me. He's a fricking law abider."

"Do you know where he is?" Warrick asked. He obviously will not ask what his brother looks like because they're twins.

"Will lives in Vegas, but I don't know where. He's quite reclusive." Dan Hecht replied, leaning forward. "He's so damn reclusive that God's angels wouldn't probably know where to fetch him when he dies."

Warrick and Nick looked at each other.

"Thank you for your time, sir." Warrick said and stood up. He went out of the interrogation room, followed by Nick.

"Okay, so now, we look for a Will Hecht in the computer database?" Nick asked after he had closed the door.

Warrick looked at Dan Hecht through the glass. "Yeah. I'll just talk to him again. He might be pulling our legs with his lies."

"Okay. I'll see you back here in an hour." Nick said and then walked away. He wants bring Sara's attacker to justice. But he must find him first.

'I know what you look like, Will Hecht.'

A/N- sorry if I wasn't able to update it in five days. I got distracted with the news that Jorja Fox and George Eads were fired. Please sign petitions pertaining to this matter, because I will never watch CSI again if they don't come back (What's the use of watching the show if your two favorite characters aren't there?).

Anyway, please leave a review. Thanks. :D


	8. eight

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters nor do I reap profit when I write these fictions. Thank you and have nice day.

A/N- reviews are welcome. Sorry for the delay… I am so busy with school… And yes, I am still alive.

****

CHAPTER EIGHT

Catherine was looking at the metal bars that are hanging from the ceiling. Grissom asked that the crime scene be recreated in the garage because the simulation does not pinpoint how their killer went up the stage lights.

"Do you like the new addition to the garage?" Grissom asked as he entered. He is holding two cups of coffee.

"How do you get up there?" Catherine replied, looking at him. "How will you prove the killer got up there?"

"I dunno…"

Catherine raised a brow. The answer is very unlike him. 'I don't know? What's wrong with him?' she thought.

"Am I late?" Christianna asked as she hurried inside.

"No, you're just in time." Grissom answered.

She stopped when she saw the metal walkway hanging from the ceiling. "Whoa, how did those get there at such short notice?" she asked.

"Sometimes, it helps when you're the one who helped made the crime lab number two in the whole of America." Grissom replied, sipping his coffee.

"So, you think the killer got up there through, what…?" Christianna asked.

"That's the same question going through my mind." Catherine said.

Grissom smiled. "Ballet needs flexibility. More so for aerial ballet."

"And your point is?" Catherine asked.

"The killer used the metal bars to get up to the stage lights. He must be a former gymnast or a former aerial ballet dancer to execute that. Both of our suspects had or have been an aerial ballet dancer." Grissom explained. He then motioned to Christianna. "Chris, you're a former gymnast. Please do the honors of demonstrating to us how he did it."

Christianna smiled a bit and then shook her head. She approached the lowest bar and hoisted herself up.

Catherine and Grissom watched as she swung herself to the second bar. To them she looks like a swinging pretzel.

"She's good." Catherine whispered to Grissom. He beamed like a proud father. Christianna is an exceptional person and student and he knows how lucky her parents are to have her as their child.

Christianna reached the last metal bar and then climbed the walkway.

"Hello. I'm up here." She said grinning. The entire thing was like a warm up for her. The uneven bars in gymnastics are her favorite area of competition.

"Good. Now try doing that with a rope tied around you waist with a sandbag trailing behind you." Grissom shouted.

"Okay." Christianna replied and proceeded to go down.

"Be careful." Catherine called out when she saw the girl slip a bit.

A few minutes later, Christianna landed on the floor.

"Take off your shoes and wear these." Grissom said, showing her a pair of latex gloves.

Christianna took off her Nike's and slipped the gloves in her hands. Grissom was tying the rope around her waist. A pair of weights dangled at the other end of the rope.

"Okay. I'll time you." Grissom said and took a timer from his pocket.

"I like your socks." Catherine said, noting Christianna's blue socks with yellow flowers.

"Thanks…" Chris said, smiling at her. She then lifted herself up again, careful not to slip.

It took her a much longer time to ascend the metal bar. But to Grissom and Catherine, she still looks like a pretzel swinging from one bar to another.

When she ascended to the third bar, an accident occurred.

"OW!" Christianna exclaimed.

"Chris, are you okay?" Grissom asked. Catherine almost rushed towards below her.

ý up again, careful not to slip.

It took her a much longer time to ascend the metal bar. But to Grissom and Catherine, she still looks like a pretzel swinging from one bar to another.

When she ascended to the third bar, an accident occurred.

"OW!" Christianna exclaimed.

"Chris, are you okay?" Grissom asked. Catherine almost rushed towards below her.

"Yeah. I'm okay something just nicked my hand." Chris answered, hanging on the metal bar.

"Be careful!" Catherine exclaimed. Chris shaved off ten years of her life.

"Yes… mother." Chris replied good-naturedly and continued to swing towards the fourth metal bar.

After a few minutes, she is standing on the walkway.

"Done!"

Grissom stopped the timer.

15:04:38

"Fifteen minutes." Catherine said looking over Grissom's shoulder.

"How is your hand?" Grissom called out.

"Bleeding a bit." Christianna replied.

Catherine looked at Grissom. "Wasn't there blood in the rope?" she asked.

"Yes, by the way, those bars are the metal bars from the scene." Grissom said. "Chris, there are buttons by the left end of the walkway. Lower everything down."

Minutes passed and the metal bars were once again on the floor.

"Oh, I see…" Christianna mumbled, holding her hand. "The killer was wearing gloves on his way up the walkway. He nicked himself on the hand on his way up but only got blood on the ropes due to the gloves."

"Maybe." Grissom said. "It's just a probability."

-x-x-x-

Nick was in the break room, drinking orange juice. His shift has ended and he's waiting for Warrick to emerge from the locker room.

He was staring into nothingness when the door burst open.

"Sara?" He said and set down his glass.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked and stood up.

Sara is shaking and her eyes are filled with tears.

"Hey its okay." Nick said and wrapped his arms around her. Sara began to cry.

"Nick, I remember everything."


End file.
